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Eleanor's Blog

In an effort to intimidate sanctuary cities, the Trump administration last week picked up undocumented immigrants who had various levels of criminal convictions across the country. That is ICE’s job, and it has nothing to do with sanctuary cities. What Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions want is for sanctuary cities to detain and hand over to ICE people in state or local custody.

President Trump’s first two weeks were not about the District of Columbia, but his chaotic beginning coincided with my amendment to remove language from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee’s (OGR) Authorization and Oversight Plan for the 115th Congress that appeared to signal an intention to get into D.C.’s local government operations well beyond the usual disagreements with D.C. laws.

Today, for the first time, many Americans are learning about transgender people and issues. Violence historically has been the first reaction to the emergence of groups that demand equality for the first time.

The Smithsonian Museum of African American History, not yet opened to the public, was introduced to the District this week. Ever the visionary, Director Lonnie Bunch engineered a mixture of history and music with the sites as a background with D.C. citizens the first to be there, even before the grand opening with the President in 2016.

Some have wondered why I recommended a new U.S. Attorney for the District, Channing Phillips, instead of Vincent Cohen, who was Principal U.S. Attorney under former U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen, and why President Obama, after doing his own investigation, nominated Mr. Phillips.

Planned Parenthood took the high road and a smart turn in the road by announcing that they will continue fetal tissue donations, but will no longer accept reimbursements. They have now taken both legs out from under the Republican attack on Planned Parenthood. With the fetal tissue issue gone, Planned Parenthood has exposed the real attack—on women’s health and on constitutionally protected a